The Age cryptic by LR #20,429

I'm on a rough schedule this week so not much time for anything. This puzzle was great fun and gave a couple new spins on word play. I shared a few of the clues with the Cryptic Crossword Learners group with 10A being a favourite that spurred on others to create. Particular favourites of mine were 1D and 14D. Here's my pic:

1A - Nice meals at quirky Victorian town (11)
Anagram: "Nice meals at quirky" is fodder and anagrind to give us: CASTLEMAINE.

7,23A - Easy drink (3,2,3)
I'm going to guess a cryptic definition here. Answer is CUP OF TEA and we use the expression "Not my cup of tea" to say something is beyond our skill or liking. So that thing that is our "cup of tea" would be easy for us and it's also a drink. Yeah? Make sense? I mean it could just be that it's easy to make tea but that seems weak.

9A - Caved in when semi-colons expired (9)
"Caved in" is our definition and "semi-COLon" where "semi" means half, we take half of "colon" = COL and "expired" = LAPSED for COLLAPSED.

10A - Makes beers from fruit damage we hear (5)
"Makes beers" is the definition and "from fruit damage we hear," means we want a homophone of damage done to a fruit = BRUISE/BREWS.

11A - Love North jumper when winning (2,3)
"Winning" is the definition and "Love" = O, "North" = N and a "jumper" is a = TOP for ON TOP.

12A - Copy a harp composition from Bible books (9)
"Copy a harp composition," is fodder and anagrind to give us APOCRYPHA.

13A - Lady in white holds grand opening for overpass (6)
"Overpass" is the definition and a "Lady in white" = BRIDE, "holds Grand" = G to go into BRIDE for BRIDGE.

14A - Endless purgatory surrounding Old Testament inn (5)
"Inn" is our definition and "Endless purgatory" = HELL -L "surrounding Old Testament," = OT like this: H(OT)EL.

17A - Inactive geek lost 500 in infotech (5)
"Inactive" is our definition and "geek" = NERD who has "lost 500" = -D and "infotech" = IT to give us: I(NER)T.

18A - Bit of a peeper? (6)
Where the "peeper" is an eye and the "bit of" an eye we need is the RETINA. Not about toads which was my first thought. Or voyeurs.

21A - Jack, with little guitar, fights for music players (9)
"Music players" is our definition and "Jack" = J, "little guitar" = UKEulele and "fights" = BOXES giving us JUKEBOXES. I'm getting that Fallout 3 twitch again.

25A - How to resign with some ubiquitousness? (1,4)
Hidden word clue, because being able to resign with an element of omnipresence seems weird but a closer look at "ubI QUITousness" reveals I QUIT.

26A - Lost war locket in bathroom facility (5,4)
"Bathroom facility" is the thing we are looking for and a quite specific one too - nothing as lofty as a portaloo. I have to stop thinking American where bathroom = toilet. "lost war locket" is anagrind and fodder that when mixed gives us: TOWEL RACK. Sneaky as my preferred anagram algorithm didn't get this.

27A - Sets model against son (3)
It's frustrating that it's always the dinky, 3-letter clues that stump me.  I could see the parts but not how they fit. I confessed this on Twitter and @LRxword took pity and gave the solution:
" SETS = TVS (as in TV sets)
Model = T Against = V Son = S "

28A - Alcoholic, difficult doctor and tattooist (4,7)
"Alcoholic" is what we're looking for and "Difficult" = HARD, "doctor" = DR and a "tattooist" = INKER for a HARD DRINKER.

1D - Crazy copper has Calvin Klein glasses (6)
"Crazy" is our definition and "copper" = CU, "Calvin Klein" = CK and "glasses" = OO which was a new device for me and I like it! Answer is CUCKOO.

2D - Divorce, then sit around extremely peaceful (5)
"Divorce" is the definition and we want to put SIT "around" "extremely PeacefuL" = PL  like this: S(PL)IT.

3D - Guide hurt model with toxic substance (4,5)
"Toxic substance" is what we are looking for and "guide" = LEAD but swap the pronunciation to the element, "hurt" = PAIN and "model" = T for LEAD PAINT.

4D - Sum up angst around wild horses (8)
"Wild horses" is our definition and "SUM up" means to put SUM in reverse in the grid for MUS with "angst around" as partial fodder and anagrind - yes that word "around" sure does have many uses! MUS(TANGS).

5D - Do iron renovation within building (6)
"Within building" is the definition and "Do iron renovation" is fodder and anagrind to give us: INDOOR.

6D - Spark at month's end? (5)
This month is October but next month is novEMBER.

7D - Old queen with women's mag ripped apart (9)
"Old queen" is who we are looking for and an Aussie "Women's mag" = CLEO with "ripped apart" is anagrind and partial fodder for CLEO(PATRA)

8D - OK...dad's stable lost top trainer (8)
"OK" is the definition and "dad's" = PAS with "STABLE lost top Trainer," is instruction to remove the -T from STABLE leaving: PAS(SABLE)

13D - How criminals escape skin problems? (5-4)
Double definition for escaped criminals and skin problems? BREAK-OUTS.

14D - Plebs in upper house vote between Aussie chants (3,6)
"Plebs" is the definition,  and "upper House" = H, "vote" = POLL to be placed "between Aussie chants" which is the favourite reply to "Aussie Aussie Aussie" = OI OI...OI. But we only want two to give us" H(OI) POLL(OI) what a lovely clue! I enjoyed this very much.

15D - Common replacement in cool venue? (3,5)
Double definition: HIP JOINT. Not Gin, like I first put in. Apparently not everyone swaps vodka for gin, like I do.

16D - Frequently changed spots Casanova finally married (8)
"Frequently changed" is our definition and "spots" = SEES, "casanovA finally" = A and "married" = WED put together for SEES(A)(WED).

19D - Cockney curse on alien spinning about old English city (6)
We are looking for an "English city" and a "Cockney curse" = HEX -H, "alien" = ET and "about" here is being used like "regarding"  = RE that is "spinning" making ER to give us EXETER.

20D - Hiker in Western Australian lake missed a right (6)
"Hiker" is our definition and "Western Australian" = WA, "lake missed A" = LAKE -A, "Right" = R to give us: WA(LKE)(R)

22D - Meat worker forgot queen was masculine (5)
"Masculine" is our definition and a "meat worker" = BUTCHER who's "forgot queen" = -ER leaving just BUTCH.

24D - Road song (5)
Double Definition: TRACK.

And there we are! Not a bad start to the week at all.

I have  a mountain of of a ToDo list with an eagerness to get things ticked off as fast as I can. Our Guides unit are doing a presentation about International Day of The Girl at the school's assembly this Friday and I still have a script to write, art supplies to buy, kids to talk down from ledges who don't want to be on stage and then I'll need someone to talk me down from the same ledge because muggins here orchestrated the whole thing and is now wishing for a coma until December. Coward. Ah, they're just kids - easy audience, right?

Apologies for brevity. Have a great day.